So what do the “new, new” Local Government Pay Proposals really mean for you?

With no clear National official information, members and activists are naturally wondering what the radically “new, new” proposals are from the LGA that ‘caused’ the NJC Trade Unions to call off the strike action to consult members.

Circulars on Friday told us that the only difference between these “new, new” proposals and the previous “new” proposals rejected two weeks ago is:

‘0.45% of proposed new salaries on Spinal Column Points (SCPs) 26-49, of which £100 is to be paid in December 2014 and the remaining balance is to be paid in April 2015.’

An unnecessarily, and no doubt deliberately, confusing form of words.

But what it actually means is easy to decipher and calculate in just a couple of minutes.

What the “new, new” proposals are worth:

Members between SCP 5 and SCP 25 get nothing. There are no “new, new” proposals whatsoever. It is the same deal that was rejected.

Everybody on SCP 26 up to SCP 49 will get 0.45% of the proposed January 2015 new SCP rate paid as a non-consolidated lump sum in two parts. The first part is a £100 non-consolidated lump sum paid in December 2014.

The second part is the balance of the 0.45% minus the £100, and this would be paid as a non-consolidated lump sum in April 2015.

Only that second part is new to this offer.

And, trumpets at the ready, here is what that second non-consolidated lump sum would be at each of the SCPs:-

SCALEPOINT

LUMPSUM

SCALEPOINT

LUMPSUM

SCALEPOINT

LUMPSUM

26

£3

27

£7

28

£10

29

£14

30

£18

31

£22

32

£26

33

£29

34

£33

35

£36

36

£39

37

£43

38

£47

39

£52

40

£56

41

£60

42

£65

43

£69

44

£73

45

£77

46

£81

47

£85

48

£89

49

£93

So there it is. Nothing more than crumbs glued to the bottom of an already stale, flat and minuscule piece of crust.

The sad fact is that for some members the strike was called off so they could be consulted over an extra three quid.